Rubber overshoe and method of making same.



J. J. BATTERMAN. RUBBEROVERSHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME. APPLICZATION FILED APR-24. I91]. 1,292,993, 7 Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

3 SHEETS -SHE ET I.

J. J. BATTERMAN. RUBBER OVERSHOE AND METHOD OF M KING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24.1917;

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1.]. BATTERMAN.

RUBBER OVERSHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

APPlllCATIQN FILED APR. 24. 1917.

1,292,993. w Patented Feb. 4,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET-Ii- STATES PA QFFICE- JOHN 3'. BATTERM AN, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO BATTERMAN RUBBER COMPANY, 013 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORIPQIRATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

Burner. ovnnsrron AND Marx on or Mannie SAME.

- which the following description, in conneclater a sheet of gum rubber is stretched over this lining to form the upper of the overshoe; The sole and binder strlps are then tion with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures. This invention relates to rubber overshoes and is particularly concerned with rubber overshoes of the sandal type; that is, a heelless rubber overshoe which is held on the I foot by means of a back-strap or heel strap. Rubber overshoes of this type are sometimes designed to cover the entire forepart of the shoes over which they are worn but more frequently they are shaped to protect only the sides and toe portions of the forepart leaving a large part of the. top of the vamp of the shoes exposed. Sandals of the latter type are designed primarily to be worn over high heeled womens shoes and are known in the trade as slip-ens or footholds. The invention will be herein disclosed as embodied in a rubber overshoe of 4 this style.

The present invention has for 1ts general object to efi'ect a substantial economy in the construction and manufacture of rubber overshoes of the sandal pe without im pairing the wearing qualities of such shoes as made by the present processes.

The usual process of manufacturing a rubber overshoe consists in placing an insole on the bottom of the, last on which the shoe is to be made, then stretching the lining, which is always made out of a knit fabric, such as stockinette, over the upper surfaces of the last and securing its marginal portions adhesi'vely to the bottom face of the insole. Usually the lining is coated with a suitable cement before it is placed on the last and applied and the shoe finally is vulcanized. After the vulcanizing operation, has been performed the vamp is trimmed to its final shape or outline by means of a hand knife. This process, of course, is modified somewhat for different constructions of shoes,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

Application filed Apri124, 1917. Serial No. 184,170.

there is much waste in making slip-ons or A foot-holds by this process since it is necessary to use very much larger pieces of stockinette and rubber for the vamp than are required in the finished shoe.

The present invention provides a rubber overshoe construction of the general type above designated which eliminates a substantial percentage of this waste and it also provides a method of manufacture which re' duces the labor involved in making shoes of this type.

The invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with-the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 isan angular view of a rubber shoe embodyin the invention, a part of the shoe being bro en away- Fig. 2 is a plan view of the vamp used in a shoe'of the construction shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the'back strap for the shoe;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a sole blank;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the vamp and back strap assembled; and

Fi 6 is a view in side elevation showing 1certam parts of the shoe assembled on the ast. I

The insole, outsole, binder and back strap of the shoemay all be made in accordancev with the processes now commonly followed. The vamp, however, instead of consisting of a lining'of stockinette over-which a sheet of gum rubber is cemented, as in the usual construction, is cut or died out of a rubber coated woven fabric such, for instance, as

that widely used in carriage and automoper and lower margins of the fabric side of the vamp are next coated with a suitable rubber cement, as indicated at 6 and 8, Fig.

2, and the upper marginal edge of the vamp I which has been so coated is folded over upon itself with the fabricedge turned inwardly where itwill be secured in its folded position by the adhesive previously applied.

This step produces a doubled edge along the upper margin of the vamp and avoids the necessity fora separate relnforcmg strip convenient manner but in the form shown consists of a blank strip 0a of rubber. reinforced by another rubber strip Z), the edges of the blank a being folded over to reinforce them.- Fig. 3 shows the upper edge turned over in its permanent position and the central portion only of the lower edge folded over.

In assembling the shoe the ends of the back strap 12 are first secured to the rear ends of the vampfl, the adhesion between the rubber surfaces of the vamp and back strap usually being suliicient to secure them together Preferably. the'ends of the lower edge of the blank a of the back strap are not folded over until after the back strap is secured to the vamp so that these ends may then be turned over the upper corners or the vamp. These parts at this stage of the process, appear substantially as shown in Fi 5.

n insole 14 is next secured to the bottom of a last 16 in any convenient manner, as for instance by tacks. The workman next slips the back strap 12 over the rear.

end of the last, as shown in Fig. 6, centers the toe portion of the vamp on the toe of the last pad pulls it over the edge of the last until .the ends of the notches l lie just over the edge of the tread face of the insole. The cement on the margin of the vamp secures it to the insole in this position and the op erator next folds the sides of the vamp adj aoent to its rear ends over the tread face of the last in a similar manner, where the ocment secures them in position. This lasting operation is then continued along the sides of the last toward the toe, the notches 4 serving not only to guide the laster in pulling the proper width of the margin of the vamp over the bottom of the last, but also facilitates the neat disposal of this vamp material on the bottom of the last, since the notched construction avoids the presence of many of the puckers and overlaps that otherwise would be present. in this connection it should benoted that in lasting the vamp in this manner very little distortion .ofthe woven fabric lining is required at the entral part of the toe and the rear portions of the vamp where the pull due to the lasting operations comes on the straight of the goods, that 1s, longitudinally of the warp or weft threads; but that the maximum distortion of the fabric comes at each side of the central part of the toe and is directed along lmes that extend diagonally to both the warp and weft threads of the fabric. In

other words, this pull is directed on the bias with reference to the fabric and the fabric thus is enabled to stretch sufficiently to produce a smoothly lasted toe.

The lasting operation having been completed and the overdrawn marg n of the vamp having been secured to the insole, the

rag sole 18, (if one is used), next is secured to the bottom of the insole; the binder strip 20 then is applied, and finally the outsole 22 is secured in place. These parts are all secured on the last by theadhesiveness or the rubber, which at this time is in a green con dition, or by theuse of suitable adhesives. The shoe next is given a coat of varnish or finish and is then vulcanized.

As above stated, it has been considered I amount of elasticity. It is impractical to coat stockinette in sheet form with rubber,

because of its peculiar elasticity, and it has.

therefore been necessary to secure the stockinette in the proper position on the last, and then to secure the gum coat of rubber to the stockinette while on the last. After the shoe is vulcanized the vamp is trimmed to the desired outline. It is obvious that the process provided by this invention efl'ects a saving over the-former practice by eliminating the necessity for coating the entire surface of the stockinette with adhesive, in reducing the labor of the lasting 0 eration and in eliminating the trimming o the vamp after the shoe is otherwise completed. TlllS construction also effects a saving in materials since the vamps can he died out of the rubber coated woven fabric very closely, thus materially reducing the waste in the goods from which the Vamps are made. The turning over of the upper margin of the vamp, as indicated at 10, not only reinforces this edge without requiring a separate reinforcing or finishing" strip, as in former constructions,

but'it-forms a much stronger edge than does the usual reinforcing strip. The rubber coated woven fabric is also cheaper, forfthe same grade of rubber coating, than isms material eliminates any possibility of defects which frequently occur 1n the present meth-' ods due to a failure to form a good union 'be tween the stockinette lining and the gum rubber coat. It is obvious that these advantages are produced primarily by cutting the vamp out of a sheet of rubber coated woven fabric, and I believel am the first to devise dal type which 1. A rubber overshoe of the sandal type having a vamp consisting of a rubber coated Woven fabric, the vamp being cut on" the straight of the fabric and the upper marginal portion of said vamp being folded over on itself,

2. A heel-less rubber overshoe of the sandal type having a narrow vamp consistingof a rubber coated woven fabric, the upper edge portion of said vamp being folded over upon itself,vand a back strap secured to the rear ends of said vamp.

3. A heel-less-rubber 'overshoe having a vam consisting of a rubber coated woven fabric, the upper marginal portion of said vamp bein folded over upon itself, a sole extending from the'toe of the shoe to a point in the hollow of the arch, and a back-strap joining the rear ends of said vamp and designed to extend around the counter of a shoe..

4. That improvement in the process of manufacturing rubber overshoes of the sanconsists in cutting a vamp out of a rubber coated woven fabric, assembling the vamp with the other parts of the shoe on a last and vulcanizing the shoe.

5. That improvement in the process of manufacturing rubber overshoes of the sanvamp dal type which consists in cutting a vamp,

out of a rubber coated woven fabric, securing the ends of the back-strap to the rear ends of the vamp, next lasting the vamp to an insole with the vamp, insole and backstrap supported on a last, and then completing the making and vulcanizing operations in the usual manner.

6. That improvement in the process of manufacturing rubber overshoes of the sandal type which consists in cutting a vamp out of a rubber coated woven fabric, coating margin portions of the fabric face of said with adhesive material, folding over the upper marginal edge of the vamp and adhesively securing it in its folded position, adhesively securing together the ramp and the other parts of the shoe on a last, and vulcanizing the shoe.

7. That improvement in the process of manufacturing rubber overshoes of the sandal typev which consists in cutting a vamp out of a rubber coated woven fabric with the vamp lying on the straight of the fabric, providing the vamp with marginal notches designed to facilitate the lasting operation, adhesively securing together the vamp an the other parts of the shoe on a last, and vulcanizing the shoe.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN J. BATTERMAN] 

